The Alberta government confirmed it's providing Ukraine with military goods to respond to the Russian invasion. .Alberta provided $5 million to the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) to equip 5,000 members of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Force with defensive equipment, according to a press release. The release said $350,000 was doled out to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Alberta Provincial Council for its campaign coordinating the air shipment of first aid and defensive equipment to the country. .The Alberta government made the revelation in February after saying it would provide $7 million in new funding over three years for language and settlement services. .“The Alberta government is steadfast in supporting Ukrainians coming to Canada to avoid Russia’s war machine,” said Alberta Ukrainian Refugee Settlement parliamentary secretary Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk. .“Our Alberta government will continue to find ways to support Ukrainians coming to Alberta as long as this war continues.” .The release said since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, about 21,600 people have come to the province seeking support. It said with more expected to arrive in the coming months, the government is enabling access to meet the demand for programs and providing new funding for settlement and language services. .The Alberta Ministry of Seniors, Community, and Social Services will be providing $20.3 million for housing and financial supports, ensuring they are made available for refugees. .The Alberta government announced in October it would be directing $10 million to the UWC for its Stand with Ukraine campaign. .READ MORE: Alberta government to give $10 million to Ukrainian World Congress.“This will provide non-lethal supplies for the territorial defence forces, including individual first aid kits and medical supplies, sleeping bags and winter clothing, diesel generators, ambulances, and communications and operating expenses,” said former Alberta premier Jason Kenney. .While provincial governments do not have a major role in international development and foreign policy, Kenney said there “have to be exceptions to every rule.”
